Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2025/26 revision of our top 50 Tampa Bay Rays.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Rays finished fourth in the American League East with a 77-85 record.  As this is a young franchise that constantly overhauls talent, there were new entrants and multiple elevations on this year’s list, especially with the new algorithm.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a change due to the new algorithm.

1. Evan Longoria
2. Carl Crawford
3. Ben Zobrist
4. David Price
5. Kevin Kiermaier

You can find the entire list here.

Infielder Yandy Diaz moved up two spots from #10 to #8.

Pitcher Drew Rasmussen makes his first appearance, skyrocketing to #18.  We admittedly failed to rank him last year.

Notably, Pitcher Shane McLanahan, who missed 2024 and 2025 but returned in 2026, fell by one spot to #21.

Infielder Taylor Walls had a huge jump, moving from #45 to #29.

Pitcher Zack Littell, who was traded to the Cincinnati Reds during the 2025 campaign, debuts at #49.

Greg Vaughn and Steven Souza Jr. fell off the list.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

A college standout at Florida State, Taylor Walls didn't have to travel far when the Tampa Bay Rays grabbed him with their third-round pick in 2017. Since making his big-league debut in 2021, the versatile infielder has given the club masterclass defense wherever he is plugged into the dirt, bouncing effortlessly between second base, third base, and shortstop. While his offensive baseline has historically leaned toward the lighter side, his premier glove is an absolute game-changer that routinely forces him into Kevin Cash's plans.

That defensive genius was on full display in 2022 when Walls led all of the American League with a massive 2.8 defensive bWAR. He backed up those defensive instincts during an injury-shortened 2024 campaign, leading all American League shortstops with 15 total zone runs above average despite logging just over 620 innings at the position. For Walls, his value has always been built on preventing runs rather than driving them in.

The 2025 season provided a highly encouraging step forward. Appearing in 101 games, Walls turned in the most offensively productive stretch of his career. While his baseline approach remained patient, he lifted his batting average to a personal-best .220 and drove in a career-high 38 RBIs, fueled by a scorching hot June in which he delivered 17 RBIs—the most by any Rays shortstop in a single month in nearly four years. He paired that offensive bump with 14 stolen bases and another 2.5 bWAR season before a late-summer groin strain prematurely ended his campaign in August.

As the Rays look toward the horizon of the upcoming 2026 season, Walls stands as the projected anchor of the Tampa Bay infield.